Improvement in speculums



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEO CHARLES LEN'IZ, OF PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN SPECULUMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 55,511, dated June 12,1866.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLEs LEN'rz, of thecity of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Speculums; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full and exact description thereof7 reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the figures and letters of referencemarked thereon.

My invention relates to that class of surgical instruments namedspeculums,7 which are provided with four valves or leaves, and soarranged in the manner of tongs that the leaves may be dilated afterinsertion and secured at any required point of expansion.

rIhe object of my invention is, on the one hand, to simplifythemechanical arrangement of such instruments, and also to so construct thesame that the most ample space is provided in the neck or joint of thesame for the purpose of ocular examination, or for the insertion ofinstruments in operating, while the exterior surfaces of the instrumentshall be entirely free from perforations or projecting bulbs, which areliable to injure the patient. All instruments of this class arenecessarily so arranged that they can be readily taken apart for thepurpose of cleaning or examining them thoroughly, and in their ordinaryconstruction the pins or buttons by means of which the outer pair ofleaves is hinged to the inner pair are provided with one-sided headsandarranged to swivel on their axes, so that when they stand in oneposition the heads will hold the outer leaf to its place, while apartial turn ofthe button will permit the removal of the leaf'. Inaddition to this l mode of j ointing the outer pair of leaves to theunderstood, I will now proceed more particularly to describe the same.

On reference to the drawings making part of this specification, and inwhich similar letters of reference allude to like parts throughout theseveral views, Figure l is a sectional side view of the improvedspeculum in its contracted condition. Fig.2 is the same View with theleaves dilated. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan of the instrument, and Fig. 4a sectional end view of the joints ofthe leaves.

A A are the inner leaves of the speculum, jointed like scissors or tongsat b, and provided with handles C C. f D is aqnadrant, in the form of aflattenedscrew, hinged to one of the handles at c and provided with amilled nut, E, by means of which the instrument canr be secured in anyrequired position of its leaves between the point of closing and extremedilation.

The outerleaves, F F, are each provided with a pair ofinwardly-projecting pins,Gr Gr, which pass through corresponding holesin the inner leaves, A A. These pins are notched in the manner best seenat Fig. 4, the notches being provided to receive the sidewise-projectingwings lt h of the springs I, whereby the outer leaves are held in placeupon the inner leaves. In the holes there is, however, enough playallowed for the pins G, that the instrument may be freely opened andclosed without binding in these joints. The shape of springs l I and themanner in which they are attached to and actuate the leaves of theinstrument are best understood upon reference to Figs. l and 2. Bymeansof a small pin,t' t', on their outer ends they are held in place.

To take the instrument apart itis simply required to lift the pins z' iout of their sockets, and to withdraw the springs from their hold in thenotched pins Gr Gr, whereby the outer leaves, F F, become detached fromthe inner leaves, A A.

To put the instrument together again, the leaves F Fare first laid intheir places, and then the springs I I are pushed inward until theirwings h lt have entered their notches, and the dowel-pins fi t' are madeto enter their respective sockets in the leaves F F.

Having thus described the nature and construction of my invention, Iwish to be understood as not desiring to confine myself to the describedarrangement of the parts in every minutia; but

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

The described improvement in speeulums, consisting in the use of thespringsl I and notched pins Gr G, or their equivalents, when arrangedrelative to each other and to the leaves A A and F F, substantially asand. for the purpose specified.

CHARLES LENTZ. Witnesses:

THnoDoRE BERGNER, Guns. E. PnNooAsT.

